Urban cycling is cool. The city is an arena for bike and rider to thrive in. Cruising through city traffic is an act of personal expression, rebellion and strength. It keeps you alert, fit and active in an era of rising apathy and obesity.

There’s a bike renaissance going on and one of its drivers is the style of the bike messenger, courier scene. Its not just messenger bags and beanies though – its an attitude of resistance and militancy born of the Critical Mass movement. Take Alley Cat racing, not known to many people, it’s a global underground urban racing circuit – illegal, aerobic punk-rock and radical, guerilla anarchy.

Not only is the bike a great athletic piece of steel in the cities, it’s also a way to save your mind. 24/7 gridlocked drivers aggravate each other as they inch their way through city traffic like cattle, burning up fuel and money. To sit on your ass in a car surrounded by suits who have surrendered themselves to traffic is a warped sense of “normal.” The simple fact is – the streets aren’t getting wider and this shit is only going to get worse, but the beauty of urban cycling is – you don’t care! Overcrowding is inevitable but you have a way to deal with it.